Dark Phoenix
by jhuniemarieilarde
Summary: set after the war with Queen Ingrith. The fairies and the humans are living in harmony when the Crusaders of the Faith rose to erase all fairies from the world believing that they came from evil. This threatens the life the Moors and Ulstead built for themselves and the relationship between humans and fairies. I DO NOT OWN MALEFICENT. I JUST LOVE THE MOVIE.
1. Chapter 1

It's been five years after the union of Ulstead and the Moors as well as the union of Prince Phillip and Queen Aurora. Maleficent left with the other Fae's to live with her own kind. She goes back here and there to check on the Moors as Aurora now resides at the palace with her husband.

Peace is not forever. Envy is just looming around the corner. Soon, new kingdom formed far from the Moors and Ulstead. They are known to be Crusaders of the Faith and soon they discovered the wealth of the Moors and the bond it formed with the kingdom of Ulstead.

"It disgusts me how humans, our kind, tolerate such abomination. They are evil forces dwelling in our world and Ulstead is just welcoming them with open arms. It's a disgrace!" King Leonard yelled while talking to his council members.

"Your Majesty, the Queen is said to be raised by the Mistress of Evil Maleficent. That would explain why Ulstead is in league with the Moors", one of them informed him.

The King only made a face of disgust by the information.

"We must do something to purify this land and this world. We cannot let those monsters take what's ours. This is our world. This is our land and we must take it back. They might have the devil on their side but we have God on ours", he exclaimed.

* * *

Meanwhile, Maleficent is sitting the edge of the cavern overlooking everything down below. It's what she always does. She watches the world beneath to make sure everything is fine. It's nighttime and the Moors and Ulstead are sleeping in peace. Borra came beside her.

"It's late. You should rest", he said.

"I am not tired", she responded briefly.

He chose to sit next to her to keep her company.

"The world is at peace thanks to you. It will not change if you take time to sleep and rest", he mentioned.

Maleficent let out a smile, short, but genuine. Borra always been in her confidence. He's tough, hardheaded, sometimes unpredictable but he's so much like her in that respect. They're both playful and most of the time, they are both short-tempered Faes.

"I wish that's true", she muttered.

He can immediately sense that something's troubling her. In five years, he has learned to read her.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I can smell it through the air. Something bad is going to happen. I've been getting that feeling for days now. It's not paranoia. Believe me, I considered that idea but it wasn't. Something will erupt and chaos will break. I don't know how it will start but I know it will come. I need to be ready when it does", she answered.

Borra knows better than to contradict the last descendant of the Phoenix who can turn into one herself. She's the most powerful of them all and if she says something bad is about to happen then it's most likely to happen.

"Do you wish me to inform the others?" he asked.

"No. Not yet, at least…I don't want to cause panic but make sure to be ready. Sharpen your senses. It may come at any moment", she answered and Borra acknowledged.

* * *

It's time for Maleficent's visit to Ulstead. Unlike before, the people are much more welcoming to her and the people of the Moors. After the war caused by Queen Ingrith, they began to understand that they are not so different from them humans. King John ordered a feast in their honor and opened the gate of the palace.

Maleficent walks through the halls of the castle still feeling the threat she's been feeling for days. Aurora can sense it from her mother not only because she's her mother but because her hands are glowing with green light. Diaval saw it too and made it a point to hold his mistress' hand to snap her out of her thoughts.

"You wouldn't want to blow up the entire castle with all of us in here", he whispered.

Maleficent looked at her hands and saw her powers coming off. She pulled it back in and the light disappeared from her hands.

"Everything alright, Mother?" Aurora asked.

She looked at her daughter and saw the worry in her eyes.

"Yes, beastie. Everything's fine", she lied and Aurora knows it too.

The day proceeded as usual. Everyone is happy including Maleficent. King John launched tales about his childhood and how much he wanted to go to the Moors to play with fairies but was forbidden by his father. Diaval told stories of his life as a raven before Maleficent found him. Laughter filled the entire room.

Amidst all the happiness and festivities, a wave of pain hit Maleficent in her gut that made her gasped. It caught everyone's attention and stopped the celebration. Everything around her went silent as she opened herself up to find out where the feeling is coming from. The Moors. Something is happening at the Moors.

"Mother, what is it?" Aurora asked but she doesn't have the time to answer.

Maleficent quickly opened her wings and burst out of glass window to go to her home. Diaval quickly followed after being turned into a raven by his mistress.

"We need to follow them", Aurora said and her husband agreed.

* * *

Maleficent arrived and saw the nearly half of the forest are burning and some of the fairies left behind are in panic. Her eyes lit up as she puts out the fire herself.

"Maleficent!" Borra called.

Once she went to him, she immediately saw Balthazar laying on the ground lifeless. He survived the iron powder from the war but he wasn't able to survive that attack.

"I tried to save as much as I can but I was too late. I am sorry", Borra apologized.

Maleficent didn't hear the word he said. All she knows is that Balthazar is dead. Her father is dead.


	2. Chapter 2

Aurora and her prince arrived at the Moors and saw Balthazar dead on the ground. They can smell the burnt woods and leaves from afar. Someone attacked the Moors. She looked at her mother whose eyes are fixated on Balthazar.

"Mother…" she tried to call her attention but she ignored her.

Her eyes are beaming with green color and her power is radiating from all over her body which scares her and everyone.

"He was the only father I had", Maleficent muttered under her breath.

Her tone sent shivers down Aurora's spine. It didn't surprise Diaval though for he had already seen that side of his mistress. The rage is becoming too much for Maleficent to hold. Her anger is overflowing and she has to let it out. She stomped her staff onto the ground and screamed. Her powers came out of her in an instant. Diaval grabbed Aurora and Phillip whilst Borra covered all of them with his wings. Aurora peeked over Borra and saw Maleficent covered in bright green light, her eyes filled with rage. Her powers shoot up in the sky and as it was done, her mother seemed to have left her humanity aside.

"Borra, the day has come. That thing I warned you about is here", she said to the Fae. "They started this. We are not doing them any harm and they attack us, try to destroy our home and killed my father. I've had enough of bowing to humans' conditions and setting aside our kinds' safety. I've been patient, understanding, and lenient but not anymore", she added.

"What are you saying, Mother?" Aurora asked.

"I'm saying that I'm done being kind, beastie. They want a war? They want death? They want to see the Mistress of Evil? Well, dear, that's exactly what they're going to get", she answered.

The young queen was shocked to hear such harsh words from her mother. She knows that when pushed hard enough, Maleficent is capable to horrible things but she has never witnessed them, not like that.

"Today! The fairies will no longer associate themselves with humans! Moors will be closed from the world once more and no humans will ever set foot to our land again!" Maleficent declared.

Diaval stepped forward.

"What about Aurora, mistress? She is human and she is your daughter", he asked.

Aurora is eagerly waiting for an answer from her mother.

"She has her new home with her family. She will be safe there", Maleficent answered coldly.

* * *

Hurt, Aurora didn't protest. She understands despite the pain it caused her. Her mother is only trying to protect her. She is also a mother now and she will do the exact same thing if she's in that situation but still, it hurts.

Borra quickly flew above to inform the others of the coming war. The others buried Balthazar and the fairies from Ulstead came back home.

Aurora watched from the castle as Maleficent built the wall between the human world and the Moors. She can never again step foot in the forest until the war is done.

Few days after the Moors has closed its doors from the world, Aurora received news about the recent attack.

"My father was informed that the kingdom led by King Leonard was responsible for the attack. They are the Crusaders of the Faith, Aurora. They think that fairies are evil and the Moors is hell", Prince Phillip informed her.

"They wish to destroy it and kill everyone residing in it just because they're different?" she asked.

"No, my love. They wish to do all that because they believe they're not creation of God. It's hard to reason with faith. There's no stopping them", Prince Phillip answered.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Faes already know that information. It only angered them more especially after what they've done to Balthazar. They all understood his importance to Maleficent and they owe him so much for raising her after they all went to hiding leaving her in the Moors.

Maleficent stood next to the heart of the cavern saving her strength. She's preparing for war against humans and she doesn't plan on sparing their lives. She tried Aurora's way of co-existence. She tried opening her home too many times but each time, her people got hurt. King Stefan broke her heart and stole her wings. Queen Ingrith tried to kill her and all the fairies. Now, King Leonard wants them all gone from the face of the world. Their crowns can no longer protect them.

Borra stood just a few feet behind her and he can feel the rage in her heart. Everyone in the cavern feels it. They are all worried at what it might do to her if she lets herself be fully consumed by darkness. The power of the Phoenix can be both for destruction or rebirth as Connall explained to Maleficent. She was rebirth through the love of her daughter and her power as the descendant of the Phoenix and became one herself. He's not sure if he wants to find out how Maleficent can cause the destruction using her power.

* * *

The day has come. Aurora and Phillip watched through the balcony as the Crusaders of the Faith marched towards the closed Moors. They were advised by Diaval and the other Faes not to intervene. Ulstead is safe from the Crusaders as they think of them as their own kind but if they intervened, they will attack them to. It is clear that the fight is between Moors and the Crusaders. However, Aurora couldn't help but feel the need to be part of it. She's the Queen of the Moors but at the same time, she's also Princess of Ulstead. She cannot sacrifice the lives of her human subjects. "This is not going to end well", she muttered.

"They started it", Prince Phillip said.

"Have you seen how angry she is? Diaval said it was worse than the time she was seeking revenge from my father. She will kill all of them if they tried to attack the Moors", Aurora exclaimed.

"…and what would you have her do? They will attack the Moors and they will kill everyone in there. They already tried that and Balthazar died. What would you have her do?" he asked his wife.

"I don't know, Phillip. I really don't but I hate wars", she answered.


	3. Chapter 3

"Today will be marked as victory for all human race! Today is the day we will extinguish those evil forces living within this fortress of darkness. Today, we will rid the world of evil!" King Leonard announced and his whole army cheered.

They were interrupted when the ground started to shake. Their horses went into panic. Vines and roots of the tress started swinging up in the air as the wall opened for Maleficent. The smile on her face is nothing but wickedness as she looks at her prey.

"You must be the evil witch ruling this place", King Leonard said.

Maleficent raised an eyebrow.

"Evil witch? You must be so intelligent to put a classification on someone you never met", she muttered.

"We know of your evil doing and we can see you for who you truly are. You are no angel. Your horns, black wings…you are a demon. You came from the depths of hell and here to do Satan's bidding but we are not going to let you win. We will protect our world from the likes of you", he declared.

Maleficent started laughing.

"What is so funny, witch?" the king asked.

"Oh…what's funny? The funny thing is, I feel the same way about you", she answered in a playful tone.

That pissed the king as she spoke to him without bearing any respect for his title.

"Bring me her head", he commanded his army.

Of course, they are well-informed of the fairies' weakness which is metal but they don't have the power of the powder anymore since the Moors has been closed to them. They rained iron bullets on Maleficent but none of them touched her skin. The iron bullets stopped mid air.

"You just made the biggest mistake of your life", she muttered and then sent the bullets back to them.

It hit a lot of the soldiers and horses who quickly fell dead on the ground. She raised her arms and the Dark Faes joined her into the battlefield.

Both sides started to launch at each other while Maleficent watched from behind the line. Borra is at her side.

"They got irons with them. They know our weakness", he said.

"Yes. I can see that though that's not going to save them", she replied and opened her wings.

Maleficent flew above them and unleashed her power. Green light covered the sky as their weapons melted out of their hands. She dropped on the ground and started to fight. Borra joined as well and together they killed tons of soldiers. The fight went on until there's nothing left but the king.

"I am not scared of you, demoness!" he declared armed with his sword.

She only looked at him with pity. He is the king but he doesn't have an army to command. They're all dead and he still believed in his cause.

"I know you're not scared. You wouldn't be here if you are", she said. Maleficent kneeled next to him. "I also know that you will not stop in your mission to kill all of us and destroying our home. For whatever reason you're doing this, I will never know and to be honest, I don't care anymore. You killed my father. Do you know that feels like? Do you know what it feels like to lose him to some people you don't even know and never met? I bet you don't. Now, you want me to feel what it is like to lose my home and my people. I want to know what it feels like before it happens to me so I need you to tell me, okay?" she added.

The King frowned and looked at her in confusion.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"We are going for a ride", she answered and grabbed him by his clothes and dragged him up.

Diaval went beside Borra.

"Where is she going?" he asked him.

"I might have an idea", Borra answered.

"Well, go on and follow her then. She cannot be alone. I would follow her but as you can see, she didn't turn me into my beautiful self", Diaval said.

Seeing the point the raven is trying to make, Borra nodded and quickly followed Maleficent while Diaval ran to Aurora to inform her of what's happening.

* * *

"She's going to take her to his kingdom", she muttered.

"Well, I didn't see that coming. I think mistress is a bit merciful after all", Diaval said.

"No, you don't understand. She said she wanted to know what it feels like before it happens to her and he's going to tell her about it. She's going to destroy his kingdom and kill his people while he watches. She's going to make him feel what he wants to do to her", Aurora clarified.

Diaval realized that that's what his mistress meant by his statement earlier.

"We need to stop her before it's too late", she said.

Diaval got an idea and waved at the few Faes left in front of the Moors.

* * *

Borra finally caught up with Maleficent at King Leonard's kingdom but the sight shocked him. Maleficent is standing in the middle of the kingdom with King Leonard sitting on the ground at her side. Her powers are circling the entire place preventing him from entering. Suddenly, Maleficent's green eyes turned red and she transformed into a phoenix. The people of the kingdom tried their best to escape but the barrier is preventing them to leave.

Then, in one blow, fire covered Maleficent's wings and as she flops them, the fire spreads throughout the kingdom turning everything and everyone into ashes.

Once it's all done, Maleficent went back into her old self revealing the king she covered with her wings. His eyes cannot believe that his kingdom is gone.

"Now, tell me Your Majesty…how does it feel to see everything you have be taken away from you by someone you don't even know?" Maleficent asked.


	4. Chapter 4

The king couldn't utter a word due to shock. His brain couldn't process what just happened. Everyone is dead. Everyone he knows are dead. His home, his castle, it's all gone.

"It's too much, isn't it?" Maleficent asked. "When Stefan cut off my wings so he could be king, I thought that was the worst that can happen, to be betrayed by someone you loved. I ended up cursing his innocent child because of it. Then, a queen came along threatening to destroy my kind and our home by using our own magic against us. She succeeded quite a bit. A lot of us died but we managed to survive that and experienced peace until you came along…another king. This could've been nothing but you murdered my father. That feels worse than having my wings cut off or having an arrow of iron dust pierced inside my body. That is so much worse. Sure what you're feeling right now doesn't compare but I want you to understand one thing, you brought this to yourself. We were living in peace but you cannot accept that. You are not fighting for your god or your belief. You are fighting for your greed for power. You wanted to riches of the Moors so your kingdom can benefit. I know all about it. All these deaths, they're in your hands. I want you to know that. I want you to feel that and now that you do…you can carry it to your grave", she added and grabbed his neck with her bare hand.

He seemed weightless as she pulled her up the ground and held him by his neck. The king is running out of breath and soon enough, the king is dead. Maleficent let go of him and he fell lifeless on the ground.

Aurora arrived with Diaval and two Faes that carried them and saw what had become of the kingdom. Her eyes fell on her mother standing in the middle of the rubble with the dead king at her feet. Her eyes are red and her hands are still enveloped with fire. Diaval was right. This time is worse than before.

"Mother, what have you done?" she asked.

Maleficent didn't even know she's there. It was only her voice that snapped her out of her dark thoughts.

"It's a war, Aurora", she answered.

"No, this is not a war. You just killed an entire kingdom of innocent people", she said.

"Innocent? Tell that to Balthazar or to the fairies who died in the fire! Tell that to the Moors who still endured the result of the flames that almost destroyed it! Those people are not innocent. No one is. We were living in peace and they wouldn't allow it so I gave them what they wanted. I am done being merciful to humans. I am done tolerating them. I tried. You I tried my best but I'm done", Maleficent exclaimed.

Everyone is quiet. No one wants to intervene between mother and daughter. Borra can see the strands of darkness appearing on Maleficent's skin.

"Maleficent, we need to get out here", he said.

She ignored him. Her eyes are still fixated at Aurora. She cannot believe that her daughter is not siding with her after everything King Leonard has done to them.

"Maleficent", Borra called her attention once more but this time, he's an inch away from her. He's holding her arm showing her the markings on her skin. "We need to go", he repeated.

Maleficent didn't argue. She doesn't have the time and the energy anymore so she flew with him leaving the rest at the ruins that once was a kingdom.

* * *

Aurora returned to Ulstead where she is greeted by her husband and the king who already knew the news.

"She really did it, didn't she? The entire kingdom slaughtered, burnt to ashes", King John muttered.

"There must be a reason", Prince Phillip doing her best to understand.

"What reason will justify that kind of murder? It's a horror", King John exclaimed.

"She was provoked!" Aurora snapped as her voice rang throughout the hall that it startled even Diaval. "My mother tolerated humans all her life. She's the Protector of the Moors and all the people living in it. There had been several attacks on her home but not once she took it upon the home of humans. All she ever did was protect the Moors and her people. Now, they killed her father and burned her home. Do you still expect her to provide tolerance? I am not justifying her action nor saying it was right. All I am saying is that she is not a monster. Like all of us, she has a heart and feelings and she's hurt and angry. She is pushed over her limits and they got what they wanted. Your Majesty, if another kingdom raided your home, kill your son, your wife, wouldn't you feel the same? Humans should understand it more than anyone else. After all, it's how we act even when we're not provoked so stop implying that Maleficent is a monster!" she added.

No one dared argue with angry Aurora. She's hurting but she understood her mother. She even tried to imagine what it was like if she's on her shoes and she lost Maleficent. The thought is unbearable.

"Mother, please come back to me", she whispered to the wind hoping Maleficent will hear it.

* * *

At the cavern, Borra took Maleficent in front of the remains of The Phoenix. He then asked everyone to leave them alone.

"What is happening? I cannot control it", she asked in confusion while her power is continuing to come off of her.

"There is too much anger within you. It is consuming your heart", Borra answered.

"…and the marks?" she asked again pertaining to the black symbols appearing on her skin.

"Remember when Connall told you the power you hold can both symbolized destruction and rebirth? The former is happening now", Borra answered.

Maleficent looked at the markings on her skin and then to her ancestor. She realized the gravity of what she did and yet somehow she doesn't care. For the first time in a long time, she felt free. A smile formed upon her red lips.

"I like destruction. It's more fun", she muttered.


End file.
